[1] His father, Mark, is a physician and a professor of radiology and orthopaedic surgery at the University of Virginia.

[3][4][non-primary source needed] He began taking piano lessons at a young age[5] and his parents bought him his first guitar as a Christmas present when he was eleven years old.

[3] Anderson formed the band Sparky's Flaw in high school with his classmates Kit French, Johnny Stubblefield, and Alex Hargrave.

[8] McFarland joined the band as a lead guitarist and Sparky's Flaw released two independent EPs.

[1][16] He has named Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder as his top four songwriting influences, characterizing them as "classic singer-songwriters".